Recording device for railway cars



Sept. 11, 1923. 1,467.643

J. H. LADD RECORDING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed y 25. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR.

P M. v

' flaw m ATTORNEY.

1,467,643 J. H. LADD RECORDING DEVI-CE FOR RAILWAY CARS Sept. 11, 1923.

Filed y 25. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 {I W J l m z/ 301 M /4/ z a Q ,8 5 w o ,7 Q /7' l7 j Z ifahon 6rop 1 y 2 W fireman 5+op INVENTOR;

[VITA E5555 sZMA 'By ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 11, 1923.

, UNITED STATES v PATENT OFFICE; g

' JOHN H. LADD, 0r OUTLOOK, MONTANA, AssIGnon or ONE-Titian TO JACOB J. BEC R,

OEOUTLQOK, MONTANA.

nnoonnms :onvron ronnainwaroans;

Application filed my 25, 1921. ,SeriaI NOT472,391.

To a l whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, JOHN H. LADD, a

citizen'of the United States-residing at Outlook, in the county of Sheridan and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Recording Devices for Railway Cars, of which the following is a specification.

The invention'relates to devices for "re cording the entrance andexit of passengers from railway CHIS.

The primary object" of the invention isto provide a recording device of this character having means whereby the entrance and exit of passengers between predetermined points is permanently recorded. 7 An additionalobject is to provide a recorderhaving a perforator device, operable from the steps of the car for perforating a recordstrip at each entrance or exit of a passenger, suitable feed mechanism being provided for advancing the record prior to each perforation.

An additional object is to provide a railway car recording device of generally im-' proved construction and operation, and de signed to systematically and regularly record the entrance and exit of passengers so as to provide a permanent record, easily understandable and conveniently read;

spacing means being incorporated in theerally in the details of construction, com-- bination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully pointed out and described, reference being had to themaccompanying drawings, Wherein a a Figure 1, is a diagrammatic view of the invention,

Figure- 2, a detail view, in vertical sectionfof the car steps, showing the movable" treads,

Figure 3, a. detail view of the stripme'chanism showing the manner same from the ear steps, v

Figure nan end view of the record-box,

of operating the showing the perforator and record-feed mechanism in place thereon,

Figure 5, a detall view ofone end ofv the record box, showing the pawl and ratchet arrangement of the record-feed mechanism, Figure 6, an enlarged detail view of the record-box and perforator device, the box being in section to show themanner in" whichthe record is made,

"Figure 7, a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view of the record box, showing the arrangement of the record strip and its supporting means with respect to the perforator,

Figure 8, is a fragmentary detail view of the spacer mechanism, and Figure 9, a section of the record paper as it will appear after being perforated.

In applying the invention to a railway car, it is tobe assumed that record-box 1' is secured to thecar frame upon the inside and at a suitable point where it can be conveniently operated from the car step. The record-box may be of either wood, metal,

or other selected material, suitable for the purpose in view and is adapted to contain strip 2,uponwh1ch the record is made.

This strip may be of paper and is mounted in a roll upon a cylindriczil'carrier or roller 3, the same being journaled crosswise of the box and adjacent one end as shown in Figure 7 of the drawings. The outer end ,of the strip is passed over rollers i and 5,

respectively located at the upper opposite corners ofthe box and freely revoluble in their hearings to permit the paper to travel freely thereover. Extending crosswise of the record box, adjacent the top end and roller 5 is a'paper guide, consistingof' an upper plate'6 and a lower plate 7, between which the strip passes,-. 3revious to its travel over roller '5. This guide is provided with punch holes 8 and 9, which may be of any particular design In the present instance, punch holes 8 are made circular 1n form, wh1le' holes 9, are made X-shape, as may be understoodfrom-the perforations in the;

stripillustra'ted in Figure 9 of the draw- .ings, The; ends of the guide plate are secured to the sidewalls of the box, as, shown in Figure 6'. The top of the boxis; provid ed with an opening in line with the guide, and over this opening the perforating device is mounted.

The perforating device includes a base plate 10, fitted to the opening of the box and slotted longitudinally as shown. Extending crosswise of the slot at a central point, is a shaft 11, upon which is pivoted the punch bar 12. This punch bar is mounted to rock upon the shaft and carries punching lugs 13 at each end, thelugs depending downwardly therefrom as shown in Figure 6. WVhen in a horizontal position, the punch plate lies flush with the upper surface of the base 10. The punch lugs are adapted to respectively penetrate punch holes 8 and 9, as the punch plate is alternately reciprocated, each lug being shaped to correspond to the design of its particular opening, and perforating the strip 2 accordingly. The rocking of the punch bar is accomplished by means of vertically disposed rams 14 and 1 1, respectively carried by levers 15 and 15 to which they are pivotally connected at their upper ends as Y indicated at 16. When at rest, these rams are normally held in vertically spaced relation from the upper surface of punch bar 12, the width of the space slightly exceeding the height of the slide members 17 and 17 The buffer slides constitute elongated blocks, which rest upon puncher bar 12 in. laterally disposed relation for movement sidewise of each other. Each buffer is slotted at one end, and arranged with the slotted end disposed inwardly toward the center of the punch bar. Buffer 17 is connected to ram 1 1 by means of a link 18, and buffer 1'? is connected to ram 1 1 by link 18. These links are each pivotally connected to the rams, and have their opposite ends slidably engaged with the slotted end of the buffers. It may thus be seen that as a ram descends vertically in a straight line, the buffer slide connected thereto is slid across the face of the puncture oar in the direction of the opposite buffer, the buffer being returned to its original position upon the ascent of the ram. The parts of the device are so proportioned and arranged that the rams move downwardly no further than the top surface of the punch bar, the end. of a ram resting lightly upon the bar, so as to cause no downward deflection of a punch lug. In the operation of the device, as will presently appear, the rams are successively lowered for actuating the punch bar.

Since the device is to record the entrance and exit of passengers from railway cars, an operable connection is maintained between the car step and the perforating device, above described. This connection involves a duplicate set of connected levers, respectively connected to rams 14 and 14:, and including levers 15 and 15. These two levers are each fulcrumed in brackets 19, suitably located with respect to the car frame, and

preferably, placed adjacent one end of the and 3 of the drawings.

levers, as shown to advantage in Figures 1 Link rods 20 and 20 pivotally connect levers 15 and 15 to step-operated levers or trip rods 21 and 21.

These trip rods are fulcrumed intermediate their ends, as indicated at 22, and operate in slots respectively provided in car steps at and 25. Spring supported tread boards 23 and 23 are provided on each of the steps indicated and overlap the inserted ends of the trip rods, as may be seen to advantage in Figure 2. The first or lowermost step of the series is indicated at 24 and the next higher or second step, at 25. Ram 14 is operated from the first step and ram 14 from the second step. When a passenger ascends the steps, tread board 23 is depressed and the trip connection between the step and ram operated, causing the latter to descend upon the face of the punch bar and sliding buffer 17 over until the end passes under ram 145. This ram is now in position for operating the punch plate, and accordingly, as step 25 is trod upon, the connection between the tread 23 and rain 14 operates the latter, causing it to move downwardly against buffer 17. As the ram 14 moves downwardly it depresses lug end 9, of the punch bar, causing the record-strip to be perforated with a cross-shaped opening; the slot joint between the buffer and link permitting the former to swing downwardly with the depressed end. of the punch bar. The buffer serves to receive the impact of the ram and prevents injury to the punch bar. The cross-shaped perforation made in the strip 2, indicates that one passenger has entered the car. When the weight is removed from the steps, the tread boards are automatically raised by the spring and hence release the perforating mechanism, the parts normally resetting for another operation. To record the exit of a passenger, the operation is the same, except that ram 14 is the first of the two to be operated on account of the higher step being, of course, the first of the two to be trod upon.

Just before the perforation of the strip 2, the same is advanced a slight distance a quarter of an inch by the roll feed mechanism mounted adjacent one end of the record-box. This feed mechanism includes a ratchet wheel 26 fixed to one end of the shaft upon which roller 5 is mounted, which ratchet is engaged by a pawl bearing slide rod 27, supported in bracket 28 and having an angular extension 29. This extension is adapted to be engaged by a lug 30, on ram 14, which lug forces the slide rod downwardly for rotating ratchet 26, and consequently, the shaft to which the ratchet is attached. The pawl slide rotates the ratchet a tooth at a time, as it isintermittently operated, during the use of the device. Rollers 1 and 5 are relatively connected for simultaneous rotation by means of belt or chain 3 Pass ng oversprocket or pulley 32, respectively mounted on the shafts of the two rollers. The feed mechanism is operated every time ram 14 descends and just before the ram engages the buffer, and hence, it may be seen that the strip 2 is consistently advanced a slight distance just before each perforation. Consequently, the spacing between the perforations will, ordinarily, be regular and uniform, as shown to advantage in Figure 9 of the drawings. From what has'been said of the construction, it will no doubt be obvious that the perforator device has two operating sides, working alternately and perforating the record-strip in laterally spaced columns of longitudinally aligned holes or perforations. One side of the perforator, and consequently, one column of the record, is intended to represent the exit and the other side and column, the entrance of passengers.

In order to provide for a quick and accurate reading of the record, a spacer mechanism is provided for grouping or spacing the perforations of the record so as to indicate the number of exits and entrances occurring between any two predetermined points. In other words, to indicate how many passengers have been taken on or let out of, a car between station stops. The spacer mechanism includes an operating lever 33, one end of which is adapted to be connected to the vestibule door of the car, the other end being provided with a pawl 34, having engagement with a ratchet wheel 35. Ratchet wheel 35 is rigid with one end of the shaft of roller 4 of the record-box, and is located on the side of the box opposite to the roll feed mechanism, as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. WVhen the ratchet wheel is turned by lever 33, it rotates roller 4: and is so proportioned as to cause the strip 2 to travel about twice the distance it would travel, if operated by the feed mechanism alone. Consequently, when the roll is fed past the perforator device through the rotation of ratchet wheel 35, it is evident that the spacing between the perforations will be increased. However, as the spacing mechanism operates only at intervals, the increased spacing between the perforations will occur only at regular periods. In the reading of the record, these larger spaces indicate stations or stops, and it is only at the stations or stops that the spacing mechanism is operated. As the larger spacings occur at regular intervals, it will be noted, from Figure 9, that the perforations of the strip are separated into groups of entrance and exit openings, each group denoting the numberof passengers taken on and let off between stops. In connectionwith the operation of the device,

it should also be noted that by stepping on either step, it is possible to throw the other step in position to register, that is, to perforate the record-strip.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings have reference to what might be considered to be the approved or preferred form of my invention. I desire it to be understood that I may make such changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, materials, dimensions, et cetera, as may prove expedient and fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A recording device for street cars including means for perforating a recordstrip, means for operating the perforating means from the steps of the car, means intermittently operated for feeding the recordstrip to the perforating means, and means operated at intervalsto increase the spacing between the perforations.

2. A recording device for street cars comprising means for perforating a record-strip, a trip mechanism connecting the perforating means to the steps of the car, said connec tion being operable from the latter for actuating the perforating means, means for automatically feeding the record-strip past the perforating means, and means operable by a door of the car for changing the spacing between the perforations of the strip.

3. A recording device for railway cars comprising a punch bar mounted to rock on a central pivot and having punch lugs depending therefrom on opposite sides of the pivot, apaper guide below the punch lugs, a ram above each endof the punch bar, separate trip means for the rams, whereby the latter may be alternately forced against the punch bars for depressing the punch lugs at either end, and perforating the paper of the guides in separate columns.

4;. A record device for railroad cars comprising a punch bar mounted to rock on a central pivot and having punch lugs depending therefrom on opposite sides of the piv ot, a paper guide below the punch lu s and a ram above each end of the punch bar, a sliding buffer disposed above the punch bar on each side of the pivot point thereof, a link connection between each ram and buffer, and independent trip means for the ram.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN H. LADD. Witnesses:

B. O. NELSON, KARL HOVLAND. 

